CRT - is it worth it for us Aussies?

[Nicsjtp]

As my ADR date is approaching Im starting to organise what and where we will be going for our 13 night stay in May 2011. I think Im pretty much sorted except for CRT... Im just not sure if it is worth it or not? FWIW I have 2 older boys (8 and 6) but I have a princess mad DD who Im sure would absolutely love it! I know the whole eating in a castle would be great - but Im wondering whether we do one of the other buffets with princesses instead?? Or is it a must do for your first time in WDW?

And if its a must do - what time should I be aiming for ? Is dinner the ultimate time to go (and maybe just maybe I might snag an ADR near fireworks.. but have no clue what time I should aim for).. or is an early breakfast ADR the way to go? Im thinking because we have 13 nights there I may be lucky with my ADRS and score a "well sought after" timeslot towards the end of the stay You never know when that pixie dust will appear

So apart from that one I think we are sorted with ADRs... just got to get the ones I want now

 

[5ofus]

It's been many, many years since I did the CRT breakfast (2000), but I loved it! We got an early morning slot and got seated near a window overlooking Fantasyland. The park was closed and it was great sitting there looking out over a deserted Fantasyland. It opened just as we were finishing up, so we managed to do ALL of Fantasyland and half of Tomorrowland in an the hour and a half after park opening.

I also love my princesses so it was great to have some one on one time with them without having to track them down or wait in line.

 

[Kalice]

We did CRT with our kids, and they loved it. We had an 8am ressie, before the parks opened. So we were out into the parks at rope drop. It was great to get some snaps with the kids in front of the castle with nobody about.
we had the dining plan, but it worked out better to not use two credits but to pay ourselves.

I highly recommend also going to a character breakfast, as these are fun. CRT is a little more subdued, but you don't seen to get 'character hogs'. The others are more lively. We did CRT and liberty tree taver(was at Crystal palace was being refurbed), great fun. So i would do CRT and another breakfast probably Crystal Palace, it is REALLY good to get that early entry.

 

[aussietravellers]

We did CRT a few days ago and to be honest I would not go back. I have a DS who is not into princesses at all so have never been before. So as we were there with friends who have DD's I was excited about finally eating in the castle. I have been wanting to eat there for years and we went for lunch (so breakfast may be better). But to be honest the food was very average, we were in and out of there in a flash, felt very rushed and it was just a big anti climax Now maybe if you got a table near the windows it may be better, we were no where near the windows and the adults sat on the inside so the kids could be on the outside to see the characters and we were looking at a wall of booster seats!

My friend said that the princess breakfast at Norway (can't remember the name) is MUCH better than that.

It's the novelty of eating in the castle but I do not think it is worth the hype, we used TIW but I would not have been happy to spend two table credits on it, one would be ok but not two.

I would take your girls to Norway to the princess breakfast, it gets great reviews and is only one dining credit. Unless you want the excitment of eating in the castle, that's the best part of the meal.

Just my opinion

 

[Travel Mum]

Aussietravellers, that is great to get such a recent review! This is going to be a big dilemma for me when my ADR time comes too. I'd even never considered it until we got free dining because I'd never want to spend two credits that we had paid for on it but, since they are now free, I've been considering it. I already plan to do an 8am Crystal Palace breakfast to get early entry to MK one day and Tusker House to get early entry to AK another day so wondered if I should do a CRT lunch or dinner - perhaps better value for the credits? Maybe I'm just getting carried away reading all these Americans say what a must do it is for first timers?

 

[aussietravellers]

Aussietravellers, that is great to get such a recent review! This is going to be a big dilemma for me when my ADR time comes too. I'd even never considered it until we got free dining because I'd never want to spend two credits that we had paid for on it but, since they are now free, I've been considering it. I already plan to do an 8am Crystal Palace breakfast to get early entry to MK one day and Tusker House to get early entry to AK another day so wondered if I should do a CRT lunch or dinner - perhaps better value for the credits? Maybe I'm just getting carried away reading all these Americans say what a must do it is for first timers?

Crystal Palace and Tusker House breakfasts are great and I really love getting them early for the park entry.

We did CRT for lunch. There was an platter for starter which had fruit, salami and I can't remember what else (we didn't really eat it), the beef dish (kind of an open pie with shredded beef and puff pastry square) was quite tasty but a two credit meal, no, Jiko and Yachtmans are two credits and good value food quality wise. But the quality of the food was just not good at CRT. Dessert I had was a little pyramid of a sort of chocolate mousse.

The only good thing about eating at CRT (in my view) is eating in the castle. But maybe because I've been wanting to eat there for so long, had heard how wonderful it was is the reason I was very unimpressed. I would not go back to be honest. There are so many great character meals and really great places to eat at WDW and this is not high on my list. But I am glad that I tried it but won't be adding it to my must do list.

 

[ehsmum]

I loved breakfast at CRT. It was worth every penny (and we paid OOP so it cost us a lot of pennies!! )

I also have two boys aged 8 & 6 and my daughter was 10 at the time so I was a little worried that she would be too old and the boys wouldn't be interested but *I* really wanted to do it so I decided to risk it.

The princesses were really attentive to my boys, calling them Handsome Princes and gushing over them and they lapped it up! I knew that the girls got wands but wasn't sure about the boys, but they got swords and my daughter got a wand even though she was an adult by Disney standards. They all also got a wishing star and at one point there was some magical music and everyone was told to hold onto their wishing star and make a wish. Well I got all teary watching my boys make their wishes, I've never seen kids wish so hard before! They were totally into it!

The food was divine! I had been told to try for breakfast as it's the best meal and it didn't disappoint. The stuffed french toast was to die for!

So I would recommend it. We had such a lovely experience. Our reservation was for 8.15am and we were seated immediately. The wait staff were excellent, very friendly and attentive. We weren't rushed at all and were finished before the park opened, so were first in line for Space Mountain at rope drop.

Our friends couldn't get an ADR at CRT so they did the princess breakfast at Akerhaus at Epcot instead. They said it was good but they didn't rave about it the way that I rave about CRT .

 

[kyl]

I agree ehsmum, we loved CRT. Though having two girls was really the reason for that, to see their faces with each character and the fact that they were called princesses by the waiter they felt like them. I agree that the food is like any other breakfast at disney but its the atmosphere you are paying for. Plus the price does include a photo. We did breakfast here at 8am and thought it was the best way to start the day. As we then got heaps of rides done early in the morning without all the long lines. We also did Arshkus (I think that is how you spell it) for dinner at Epcot. It was very nice and the food was most likely the best we ate but eatting in the castle was well worth it, given the choice between the two I would go with CRT. I mean as a kid eatting in the castle its special. Hope I have helped a little.

 

[ehsmum]

Oh yes the photo! This was the only place in the whole of the USA that included the photo and not just one photo, they took two different poses, one of the kids with Cinderella and one of all of us. They presented them as 8x10 in a frame which I packed away and didn't realise until long after we were home that there was also 4 4x6 of each photo tucked away as well. I was very impressed

 

[shushh]

Your descriptions of CRT is making me highly excited! We'll be having dinner there as part of a 3 year old's birthday celebration. The little girls will be going to Bibbidy Bobbity Boutique before hand as well so I'm hoping it will make it all the more special! I have been forewarned though to not expect too much from the food.

 

[kyl]

Oh Shushhh your girls will love it, how special to do bibbidy bobbity before hand. My girls did bibbidy bobbity at disneyland last year and it was something they talk about all the time. One was snow white and the other sleeping beauty. The great thing is while it does cost a lot to do it they keep the costumes for ever and the photos they do with the package and just beautiful! To do it before having a meal in the castle they will feel like true royality. Oh I am excited for you all what a magical night that will be especially for miss 3! Happy birthday to her for the day!

 

[aussietravellers]

Your descriptions of CRT is making me highly excited! We'll be having dinner there as part of a 3 year old's birthday celebration. The little girls will be going to Bibbidy Bobbity Boutique before hand as well so I'm hoping it will make it all the more special! I have been forewarned though to not expect too much from the food.

My friends girls had been to bibbidy bobbity and my DS had been to pirates league so they were all dressed up too and that does make it more special I think, it's really cute having them dressed up for the photos too. If the princess they are dressed up as comes around, they make a big deal too of the little mini princess dressed as them.

If you are prepared for the food to not be so wonderful, it is magical eating in the castle. Hopefully you won't be stuck sitting where we were, it made it somewhat less magical wit a view of a whole wall of booster seats, but the kids loved it and it was special with the kids dressed for the occasion. With DS dressed as a pirate, one of the princesses had a pretend fight with him then collapsed on the floor The server said she had never seen the princesses faint on the floor before, it was cute to watch.

 

[kyl]

Aussietravellers I would of loved to get the pirate league for my son...maybe next time. I agree with you ask for a table near or at the window. We were one table away from the window and looking at the stain glass while eatting my breaky did add to the atmosphere. Thats a shame you were looking at booster seats rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

 

[aussietravellers]

Aussietravellers I would of loved to get the pirate league for my son...maybe next time. I agree with you ask for a table near or at the window. We were one table away from the window and looking at the stain glass while eatting my breaky did add to the atmosphere. Thats a shame you were looking at booster seats rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

Pirates league was fantastic and they did such a great job. I'll post some photos when my photobucket account opens up again.

Yes the booster seat view really was rather unpleasant that was the foreward facing view and that was the better view, the other view to the side was the kitchen area! Nice!

 

[aussietravellers]

Warning about paying for CRT then using the dining plan and getting a refund.

I have just checked my CC statement as I booked CRT for all of us (my family and my friends family) Our friends were on the dining plan and us TIW. So when at the restaurant they took the 8 TS credits (for our 4 friends) and my TIW card to apply the 20% discount to the remainder of the bill, all to be refunded to my credit card.

So they have refunded a total of $87 aussie $'s, so about $84 US $'s. Now that does not add up to two adults and two childrens meals, plus about $16 from TIW discount! So I have just had to email them to see if and when are they going to refund the full amount. If it was just the 20% I wouldn't have bothered but 2 adults and two kid is about $154 and with TIW about $170 should have been refunded and they have only refunded $84

They definately took our friends dining credits for the meal.

So just beware if paying, make sure they refund your money if you pay in advance!

 

[kyl]

I must admit I just paid for that meal with our creidt card I was to worried about the whole refund thing. But then when we left at the end of our trip we still had 10 table service meals left we never used...it was because sometimes my MIL would come other times not and then sometimes one of the kids would stay with her or two or three and by the end of two weeks we had all these meals left over. Never mind we kinda wasted them on cereal to take with us but at least i was better than nothing. We still saved a bucket full of money with free dining though.

 

[shushh]

WHOA! Rewind please...what's this about being charged on the CC first? I assumed that the CC was just to hold the reservation. If you are on the dining plan, then they'd just take the 2 TS credits off.

 

[aussietravellers]

WHOA! Rewind please...what's this about being charged on the CC first? I assumed that the CC was just to hold the reservation. If you are on the dining plan, then they'd just take the 2 TS credits off.

If you have booked yourself through WDW, you can log into your account and when you book online and put your cc they will not charge it if you are on the dining plan from what I understand.

If you make you ADR, like I did then they charge the full amount straight away. If that happens and you are on dining plan, you can call WDW dining straight away and give them resort reservation number and tell them you are on the dining plan and they will see this by looking at your reservation. They will then refund your cc I believe.

If they charge your cc, you can also have them refund once you are at the restaurant, which is what was supposed to happen to me, but they have only refunded about $80 of the $170 odd that should have been refunded. I now await their response to my email.

 

[Kalice]

we were on dining play so cc was not charnged to make reservation. Although we decided not use the credits and paid by cc on the day. It worked out cheaper to use the credits for two other ts meals.

the photos are lovely, although ours were during a record cold morning in Orlando, so we all have red noses.